Donald Trump has a good, but not unblemished, record on Second Amendment issues (although the Supreme Court has gotten a good start at fixingf the biggest mistake of his first adminstration).
But now, he's rolled back one of the "gun safety" movement's dumber takes - the notion that "gun violence", borne almost exclusively of criminal behavior, is a "public health issue". He reversed former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's advisory declaring "gun violence" a "public health crisis":
When asked about the advisory being taken down from the Health and Human Services Department’s website, a department spokesperson told POLITICO that “HHS and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights.”
“Illegal violence of any sort is a crime issue, and as he again made clear during his recent speech at the Department of Justice, President Trump is committed to Making America Safe Again by empowering law enforcement to uphold law and order,” a White House official said in a statement to POLITICO about the change.
The executive order, which Trump signed last month, directed the federal government to halt existing policies the Trump administration deemed to be in violation of the constitutional right to bear arms. The order also directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all actions established by the Biden administration in relation to firearms for possible elimination.
The left is also complaining that the White House's "Office of Gun Violence Prevention" has been closed, although that's erroneous, at least according to Jennifer Mascia of anti-gun lobby organ The Trace:
Fact-check: President Trump didn't "shut down" the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
— Jennifer Mascia (@JenniferMascia) January 24, 2025
The WHOGVP ceased to exist before Trump took office. It wasn't an actual federal agency; it's like DOGE. Those "offices" close at the end of each administration, when staffers leave pic.twitter.com/szyMvadUJQ
Giffords was, pro forma, not happy about this at all:
NEW: The Trump admin deleted the Surgeon General’s advisory declaring gun violence a public health crisis—removing lifesaving resources and information.
— GIFFORDS (@GIFFORDS_org) March 17, 2025
Trump is prioritizing gun industry profits over protecting kids and families. We won’t stand for it.https://t.co/DVOgKmsV28
The Gun Owners of America, even pro forma-ier, was:
The federal government has begun implementing @AGPamBondi's 2A report.
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) March 19, 2025
So far we've seen the @HHSGov delete the Biden-era advisory declaring the Second Amendment a "public health crisis" and today @TheJusticeDept proposed a rule to allow federal restoration of gun rights.👏 https://t.co/uCwdbN9sHG pic.twitter.com/N87MX98JRR
Takeaway: Trump knows where his bread is buttered; his base supports the Second Amendment.
Attorney General Bondi also has a record that concerns some 2nd Amendment activists from her time in Florida, but so far she seems to be delivering what the base has been hoping for.
